An Educator's Guide to Funding Issues

Meeting the needs of schools, teachers and students in this technological age does not come without a price tag. Schools and communities must make choices about funds to provide the hardware, software, infrastructure and support to be able to use and maintain technology. Administration must make hard choices as to where to allocate funds to help their students step into the 21st century, in some cases this may pull funds from other budgets. Acquiring the hardware is not enough. Other monies must be spent for software, creating a network and even more important training to put the technology to its optimum use.

The federal government acknowledges it must take a leadership role, it must also encourage state governments and local communities to help with the financial burden the schools face. The federal government's role is to support state and local efforts to meet the technology literacy challenge. President Clinton proposed the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund in 1996 to build on educational technology activities. Providing $2 billion over a five year period the fund expects local communities to get involved to provide matching funds, in-kind contributions and to work together to meet the four goals of the President's Technology Literacy Challenge.

These goals are:

• All teachers in the nation will have the training and support they need to help students learn using computers and the information superhighway.
• All teachers and students will have modern multimedia computers in their classrooms.
• Every classroom will be connected to the information superhighway.
• Effective software and on-line learning resources will be an integral part of every school's curriculum.

Accomplishing these goals is essential to our students future. The students of today are entering a workforce of global communication systems. The will need technology skills to compete in tomorrow's jobs. While the federal government realizes the importance of providing the necessary tools to attain the goals, it is state and local communities which will need to contribute the most for they have the most at stake.

The president and vice-president have made connecting every classroom to the Web a national goal to be reached by the year 2000. To reach this goal, on February 8, 1996, the president signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which ensures that schools and libraries have affordable access to telecommunications services. The law required communication services to provide to schools and libraries services at reduced rates.

What is E-rate?

E-rate is defined as a shorthand term identifying a federal program that allows many of the nation's schools and libraries to realize substantial savings in purchasing telecommunications services, internal connections, and Internet access."

The program began in the concept of "universal access" several decades ago. It was initially designed to try and assure that all Americans had local access at reasonable rates. As the growth of cyberspace the program took on other implications. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 stated the nation's schools and libraries should have access to telecommunications services at discounted rates for educational purposes.

"On May 8, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released FCC 97-157 (CC Docket No. 96-45) Report & Order in the Matter of Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. It included provisions for a $2.25 billion annual discount program, informally referred to as the "e-rate." The document specified that a public or private school was eligible if it met the statutory definition of an elementary or secondary school found in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, did not operate as for-profit business, and did not have an endowment exceeding $50 million. Discounts ranging between 20 and 90 percent were authorized, based on criteria designed to factor in levels of economic disadvantage and the varying telecommunication costs in different regions. (Click here the discount matrix.)"

Where's All the Money Going?

Elementary and secondary schools, as well as, libraries have applied for e-rate monies. Some may never see the money if congress has a say in the matter. Two bills that could do away with the e-rate are currently not scheduled to be heard in the House, but a committee spokesperson says the bills will be discussed by members of the House and could emerge later this year. Kathleen Ouye, chair of the Schools and Library Committee that is managing the funding process, says this is not the first attempt Congress has made to scuttle the program.

Schools were scheduled to receive the second round of monies March 8, 1999. Schools could submit follow-up paperwork, but no new applications are being accepted.

In February, the funding organization apportioned $1.66 billion in the first round to 25,785 applicants. Most of the monies went to internal connections within schools ($897 million). Other monies were used to purchase telecommunications and dedicated lines ($662.2 million) and Internet access ($101.8 million).

Though limited the federal government should provide the leadership momentum for reaching the educational technology goals through targeted funding and support for activities that will reach national goals. The government should also provide funding sources to allow all school district to provide access in classrooms that is affordable to all communities including rural and urban areas

Technology Literacy Challenge Fund would provide resources for those communities facing the greatest challenge

The technology literacy challenge fund would support a wide variety of innovative efforts.

• Districts and schools may provide funding for on-demand technical assistance to help technology-using teachers during the school day.
• Districts may link schools electronically to gather and maintain administrative data.
• States and districts may enter partnerships with the private sector and universities to develop software geared to challenging state academic standards.
• States and districts may build high-speed networks carrying voice, video, text, and graphics that connect schools.
• Districts may provide incentive grants, awards, and salary increases to individual teachers who make a commitment to upgrade their knowledge of computers and technology.
• States may target funds to communities that are farthest behind in effective use of educational technology.
• States and districts may collaborate to find cost effective ways of purchasing and using hardware and software.

While the federal government can provide some support for schools, the primary support should come from state and local communities.

• State leaders need to set high standards for the use of technology for both students and teachers
• Build and support the infrastructure needed to bring about the increased us of technology in schools
• Encourage partnerships with local business and schools to provide a valuable resource

District

• Provide Ongoing support for teachers to ensure educators receive adequate training in how to use technology to improve learning in the classroom
• State and school districts can require and encourage ongoing training in the use of technology
• Allocate adequate resources to teacher training, teacher support and technical support
• Pursue strategies to ensure all teachers and students have access to up- to -date computers in their classrooms
• Work with the community buildings to help with resources or expertise &endash; libraries, museums, volunteers, and members of other private sector
• Develop overall district technology plans

School

• Provide the teachers time for training
• Ensure students have access to technology in a manner that
• Develop building technology plans to meet the specific needs of their learning community
• Plan, plan, plan
• Make sure educational software is used to support life long learning
• Provide computer short term loaning (extended weekends, vacations)

1.) Technology Integration Funding for Computer Upgrading

2.) Universal Service in a Digital Age a study funded by the Institute for Government and Public Affairs at the U of I.

3.) Intelenet Commission Internet Grant Program for Indiana School Corporations

4.) Grants and Other People

5.) The U.S. Department of Education Funding Opportunities

6.) Kids Source Online - Equipment Donations and Grants to Education you can submit a request, donate, see what has been donated and more

7.) Promoting Technology in California Schools

8.) Where to Find Technology Funding for Schools

9.) Technology for Education Program - Bringing Businesses and Communities Together to Provide Funding for Technology in our Classrooms Computers, software and other technology products are invaluable tools in the workplace, and it's important for our children to learn how to use the tools of their day while they are in school.

10.)

7.) Telecommunications: States Help Schools Connect to the Net

1.) Byrom, Elizabeth, Ed.D.

Factors influencing the Effective Use of Technology for Teaching and Learning, 1998

2.) Bytes for Low-Income Communities: LBJ Policy Research Project 1995-96

3.) Republicans Challenge E-Rate Program Now Moving to Finish Second Round, School Technology Report, April, 1999

4.) Revenaugh, Mickey,

All About the E-Rate, Educational Leadership, Volume 56 No. 5 February, 1999

5.) Salpeter, Judy

Schools Focus in on E-rate Savings, Technology and Learning, Volume 19, No. 8 April, 1999

6.) Year 1 E-Rate Funding Commitments Completed; Year 2 Will be Smoother, Education Technology News, March, 1999

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